Background Previous research has suggested that stress may have a negative effect on the clinical performance of paramedics. In addition, stress has been demonstrated to have a negative impact the driving abilities of the general population, increasing the number of driving errors. However, to date no studies have explored stress and its potential impact on non-clinical performance of paramedics, particularly their driving abilities. Methods Paramedic students underwent emergency driving assessment in a driving simulator before and after exposure to a stressful medical scenario. Number and type of errors were documented before and after by both driving simulator software and observation by two observers from the research team. The NASA Task Load Index (TLX) was utilised to record self-reported stress levels. Results 36 students participated in the study. Following exposure to a stressful medical scenario, paramedic students demonstrated no increase in overall error rate, but demonstrated an increase in three critical driving errors, namely failure to wear a seatbelt (3 baseline v 10 post stress), failing to stop for red lights or stop signs (7 v 35), and losing control of the vehicle (2 v 11). Self-reported stress levels also increased after the clinical scenario, particularly in the area of mental (cognitive) demand. Conclusion Paramedics are routinely exposed to acute stress in their everyday work, and this stress could affect their non-clinical performance. The critical errors committed by participants in this study closely matched those considered to be contributory factors in many ambulance collisions. These results stimulate the need for further research into the effects of stress on non-clinical performance in general, and highlight the potential need to consider additional driver training and stress management education in order to mitigate the frequency and severity of driving errors.
Background: Research has suggested that stress may have a negative effect on paramedics' clinical performance. Stress has also been demonstrated to negatively affect the driving abilities of the general population, increasing the number of driving errors. However, no studies have explored stress and its potential impact on the non-clinical performance of paramedics, particularly their driving abilities. Methods: Paramedic students underwent emergency driving assessment in a driving simulator before and after exposure to a stressful medical scenario. The number and type of errors were documented before and after through the use of both driving simulator software and observation by two members of the research team. The NASA Task Load Index (TLX) was used to record self-reported stress levels. Results: Thirty-six students participated in the study. Following exposure to a stressful medical scenario, paramedic students had no rise in overall error rate, but demonstrated increases in three critical driving errors: namely, failure to wear a seat belt (three baseline versus 10 after stress); failing to stop for red lights or stop signs (seven versus 35); and losing control of the vehicle (two versus 11). Self-reported stress levels also increased after the clinical scenario, particularly in the area of mental (cognitive) demand. Conclusion: Paramedics are routinely exposed to acute stress in their everyday work, and this stress could affect their non-clinical performance. The critical errors committed by participants in the present study closely matched those considered to be contributory factors in many ambulance collisions. These results illustrate the need for further research into the effects of stress on non-clinical performance in general, and highlight the potential need to consider additional driver training and stress management education to mitigate the frequency and severity of driving errors among paramedics.
<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>Previous research has demonstrated that stress has a negative impact on the performance of paramedics while performing medical related tasks. Acute stress has also been shown to negatively impact the driving abilities of the general population increasing the number of critical driving errors performed. No literature was discovered that discussed the effects of stress on the driving abilities of paramedics.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong></p><p>Paramedic students underwent a driving ability assessment in a driving simulator. We then exposed them to a stress inducing medical scenario. Another driving assessment was then conducted. The numbers, and types of errors were documented before and after the scenario.</p><p><strong>Results</strong></p><p>36 students participated in the study. Paramedic students demonstrated no increase in overall error rate after a stressful scenario, but demonstrated an increase in three critical driving errors; failure to wear a seatbelt (3 baseline v 10 post stress, p= 0.0087), failing to stop for red lights or stop signs (7 v 35, p= <0.0001), and losing controlling of the vehicle (2 v 11, p= 0.0052).</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>Paramedic students demonstrated an increase in critical driving errors after a stressful simulated clinical scenario. Paramedics are routinely exposed to acute stress during the course of their working day. This stress could increase the number of critical driving errors that occur. These results reinforce the need for further research, and highlight the potential need for increased driver training and stress management education in order to mitigate the frequency and severity of driving errors made by paramedics.</p>
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